Butterfly
by Athese
Summary: He had been captured for 4 months, his DNA had been taken unwillingly to create a mutant hybrid. Now both Mikey and his son must deal with the fact that the latter was a result of capture, experimentation, and uwilling parents. Sequel to 'A Matter Of Time'


Hai guys! The response I've gotten for the first fic on Nio was just so sweet! I'm so glad some people really liked Nio. And especially InsaneDutchGirl, who requested this story about Nio's perspective on being an unwanted child basically (At first that is), cause essentially Mikey got his DNA stolen, and Nio's mom died unwillingly for him. And Mikey is bound to have some scars as well. So here's that story!

 _~I'm an unfinished butterfly  
Butterflies are meant to soar~_

TMNT

"Morning Mikey" I greet my youngest brother as he walks into the room. He runs a hand over his face, looking at me with tired eyes. "Nio finally fell asleep?" Mikey grimaces at my question, but he eventually nods.

"He stayed up all night crying, and there wasn't anything I could do about it" Mikey mutters, sitting down on the couch, and curling in on himself in the corner of said couch.

"Don said he's been having growing pains" I mention, and he nods tiredly.

"He's been giving Nio some paracetamol but he's afraid to give more than the maximum" Mikey answers, rubbing his forehead. "And the maximum is barely enough to take the edge of, so he's still in pain" I can see faint tears bubble up in his eyes, and I was ready to walk over to him, comfort him.

He's been so stressed out these past 3 weeks. Nio wasn't the best sleeper, and with not the best sleeper I mean he hasn't slept for more than two hours at the time. His room wasn't fixed yet either, still mostly consisting of rubble as we'd been too busy adjusting to having a baby in the lair.

And Mikey had absolutely refused to let him out of sight during the night. Not even if it meant he would get a good night's rest.

He needed to relax.. and I was about to comfort him when a shrill cry echoed through the pit. Mikey immediately snaps his gaze towards the phone that was in his phone.

"Fuck" He swore, standing up immediately. "Ni I swear to-" He stops himself, sniffling angrily before walking back to his room. I watch him retreat, steps laced with fatigue. He was tired, has been ever since he came back from that hell hole. He loved Ascanio, I could see it every time.

He loved his son already, he cared for him, fed him, he hurt when Nio cried because he didn't want his son to be in distress. He had thrown his life upside down to help his son settle in this life, help him build up his muscles so he could walk later on in his life. But so far.. he hasn't allowed us to suffer with him.

If suffering was the right word…

I sigh, standing up.

"Still too stubborn?" Raph announces his presence suddenly, voice low. I frown, turning around to look at my immediate younger brother.

"He didn't sleep at all I think" I mutter, and Raph's face crumbles almost, shaking his head.

"I swear ta God Mike" He mutters under his voice. "That's enough" He continues, turning towards our rooms and walking towards them with big steps.

"Raph wait!" I cry out after him, but really, why did I want to stop him? I sprint towards my younger brother until I was caught up again, but Raph was already opening the door to Mikey's room. Both of us halted at the sight for a second, even Raph stopped dead in his tracks.

Mikey was holding Nio tightly to his side, the former already fast asleep. Nio was snuggled against Mikey's side, and in between his arm. He seemed to be awake however, Mikey's thumb in his mouth as a way to keep him quiet, but he still seemed to be distressed. Mikey's orange mask had been pulled upwards.

There were deep bags under his eyes, and even while he slept, he had a troubled look on his face.

I was the first one to move, walking over to the side of the bed and gently reaching out for Ascanio. The boy whimpers slightly but didn't struggle as I picked him up, resting him on my plastron. Immediately Mikey blinks, eyes opening in a panic.

"I got him" I say sternly, putting my free hand on his plastron.

"Wha-" He asks, blinking a few times before recognition dawned down on him. "No Leo, I can't ask you-"

"Enough bonehead" Raph snaps, harsher than he intended to. I knew he was just worried. "Yer exhausted, you need to rest" But Mikey doesn't listen, crawling to the edge of the bed before I can stop him.

"But Nio-"

"We can look after him Mikey, dad can as well. There's no need for you to exhaust yourself" I say to him. I knew why he did though, and I don't even know if he realised that. He was the only one who cared for him all those weeks in that cell. He was the only one he could trust, the scientists only wanted to study him.

Those humans didn't care about Mikey's feelings, they didn't really care about Mikey personally. They only cared about Nio, they only cared about studying him, and making more hybrid soldiers. It wasn't weird that Mikey wanted to take care of Nio alone. It wasn't weird that he didn't want to leave him.

"I can't just leave him" He mutters, standing up and glancing at Nio. I glare at him, but it wasn't an angry glare, just a frustrated one.

"Mikey I know you want to look after Nio, but this is just ridiculous." I say with a stern expression. He glances down in shame. Ash whimpers in my hold and immediately Mikey glances up. "That's it, you're not getting him back before you're getting at least 8 hours of sleep" I roll my eyes, turning around.

"Leo" Mikey whines but I just walk outside.

"Eight consecutive hours Mikey, I'm not kidding" I retort, turning around in the hallway.

"Better go back to bed Mike" Raph snickers, throwing an arm around Mikey's neck. The latter winces, glancing up at Raph but didn't turn around. I roll my eyes, glancing at Nio.

"I really hope you're not as stubborn as your dad Ni" I mutter, but Nio just looks up at me with bright curious eyes. "Hey Raph do you still have that heated blanket somewhere?" I ask, bringing Nio closer again. Raph seems to understand what I mean immediately, taking his arm back and walking to his room.

I glance at Mikey, who was still looking at me with a desperate look, but I shake my head. I walk back to the pit, sitting down again. Mikey follows me onto the couch, sitting in the corner again.

"Pizza?" He asks hopefully, but I shake my head.

"Go to sleep Mike, or he's mine" The last part was a joke, but it seemed like Mikey couldn't appreciate it, sending a glare my way.

"Here ya go" Raph says, dumping the blanket next to me. I grin up at him.

"Thanks Raph" I turn to Nio again, picking up the blanket with my free hand. "Let's wrap you up Nio" I snicker, he stares at the blanket with a curious expression, and I smile when I wrap it around him.

"Wap?" He asks, and I smile fondly at him.

"Wrap you like a present" I smile, booping his nose. Nio giggles at that, fussing with his arms slightly. I wait for a moment before pulling the blanket over his shell as well, trapping his entire body, save for his head, under the blanket. He stares at the fabric in wonder, and I turn on the heat just slightly.

Immediately his eyes widen, and he stares at me before a smile breaks out on his face.

"Wap wap" He squeals, and I can't help but smile brightly as well.

"It's a blanket Nio, a heated blanket" Nio frowns slightly.

"Bank't" He says, before smiling contently. He closes his eyes, and I smile.

"Knew the heat would help" I say, glancing over at Mikey.. and just barely able to keep myself from barking out a laugh. "That was fast" I remark, watching Mikey breathe softly with his eyes closed again. Raph was already walking over to him with a normal blanket, carefully draping it over him.

"I'll set that timer" Raph remarks, and I just roll my eyes.

TMNT

Honestly, what did I expect? Of course things never went easy for us. I had hoped that Nio wouldn't wake up Mikey, which he hadn't so far. I hoped Mikey would keep sleeping while Raph and I watched some random movie that was playing on the TV. Guess I was too hopeful.

Nio was the first one to whimper actually, starting to struggle in my arms and extending his arms towards Mikey.

"Hey Nio" I whisper, lifting him up just ever so slightly to pull him closer, but Nio didn't calm down at all.

"Papa" He whimpers, and I glance at Mikey.

"Shit Raph, he's having a nightmare" I curse, immediately up and closing the small distance between me and Mikey. Raph was immediately up as well, but I didn't pay attention to him. "Hey Mikey, little bro" I shake him gently, but Mikey just whimpered, curling tighter into himself and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Leo let me take Ash" Raph says gently, and I nod, carefully handing Nio over. The little boy whimpers again.

"Get him to Don or something, he can calm him down" I order softly, and Raph obeys without question. I didn't need Nio here when Mikey was having a nightmare. I turn back to said turtle again, shaking him again. "Mikey" I say more sternly, and Mikey's eyes snap open.

"L-Leo?" He stammers, shaking under my hands. His skin already felt clammy, and his eyes were distressed.

"I'm here" I assure him, sitting down next to him. "Was it a nightmare?" I ask, and he glances at me with horrified eyes.

"I was back… I was back t-there again" He stammers. "They took Nio from me, they k-killed… h-h-him" He hiccups, bursting into tears. I immediately wrap my arms around my youngest brother, bringing him close. Mikey wails against my plastron, shaking like a leaf. I just hold him.

It's the only thing I can do, hold him tight and try to comfort him.

I don't even realise how long it has been, but it doesn't matter. I just hold him, rubbing his shell and staying quiet. After a while the sobs slowly diminish, until Mikey is only softly hiccupping against my neck.

"You feeling better otouto?" I whisper softly, but Mikey doesn't move. I allow him to stay where he was for a few moments more. "Hey Mikey" I whisper, carefully untangling him from my grasp. He blinks up at me with tired eyes, tears streaming down his red tinted eyes.

"I can't do this Leo" He whispers, and I frown slightly.

"Can't do what?" I ask softly, not entirely letting him go.

"I keep seeing them… every time I see him I'm back there" He continues.

"You keep seeing who?" I frown, slightly confused.

"Nio" He mutters. "Every time I look at Nio I'm back at that lab again. I can feel the needles.. just everywhere.. my neck itches every time I hold him. I can hear the guy's voice… I-I just… I can't Leo" His voice cracks, and my face falls. I move closer to him, wrapping my arm around him and bringing his side closer to mine.

I don't even know what to say really.

"That's horrible Mikey" I whisper, how could I possibly respond to this? Mikey was traumatised, no matter how much any of us wanted to deny it, it was still true.

"I don't know what to do Leo, I don't want to hate him" He mutters, leaning his head on my shoulder.

"You could never hate him, you have done nothing but care about him" I whisper, rubbing his arm comfortably. "It's normal what you feel, you went through something horrible" Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say right now, but it was the truth.

"I'm scared… I'm scared I will n-never be able to separate Nio from t-that place" He hiccups, and I nod slightly.

"We can help you Mikey, we can all help you with that." I whisper, nuzzling the side of his head. "We'll help you with this, and we'll help you with raising him. I promise" He slowly untangles himself from the hug, smiling through the tears.

"Thanks Leo" He says. I smile as well, guiding him onto my shoulder again.

"Now go to sleep again, I'll wake you up when you get a nightmare" I assure him, and he actually listens to me for once, reaching for the blanket and bringing it closer as he leans his head on my shoulder again. He moves a bit against me until he stills, blanket tightly wrapped around him.

Like a little cocoon, how Mikey usually preferred to sleep.

"Can we just say 8 hours?" Mikey whispers after a few silent seconds. I frown for a split second, but then I remember the ultimatum I had given him. _8 consecutive hours_. I chuckle slightly.

"That's fair" I shrug, because we both knew he wouldn't be sleeping 8 consecutive hours for a long time. And Mikey would get restless if he didn't see Ascanio for however long that was. "But no more sleep deprivation"

"Yea that sucks" He mumbles, and I chuckle again, but don't verbally respond. Within seconds, Mikey is out again, sagging against me with a careless look on his face.

TMNT

 _15 years later_

"You're leaving your side open again" I frown, watching Ash stop for a moment to glance at me. Immediately Don charges forwards, sweeping his bo under Nio's feet and sending him crashing down. He lands with a soft _oof,_ immediately glaring upwards.

"You distracted me" He huffs, climbing to his feet and brushing himself off quickly.

"You can never get distracted out in the field Nio" Don says softly, leaning against his bo staff slightly. Nio huffs, glancing down at his kama's instead of looking at us. His weapons had changed a bit ever since he first got them, for starters, they were real this time, not the practice blades he had started with.

But these were noticeably bigger than his first pair of real blades. They had a stronger curve so grabbing things was easier. The upper part of the blade was filled with jagged edges, while the underside was just a sharp blade like Leo's swords. And the end of the handle now had a tanto hidden in them.

Similar to Don's bo staff. Ash was basically more dangerous, and also more lethal. Which is why he needed the training even more.

"I wasn't distracted, I was paying attention to Raph" Ash tries to defend himself, but I just shake my head.

"Let's just go again Ash, your dad wants to continue these moves tomorrow" I say, but Nio just frowns.

"Why can't we do this topside?" I roll my eyes at the question _, great, this again._ For someone who often accepted every inconvenience thrown at him, Ash knew how to go against us quite often.

"Because it's too dangerous right now, there are too many purple dragons out there" I say with a stern voice. It wasn't even a lie, and Nio knew this. There has been a spike in purple dragons lately, for still unknown reasons. And they had also become betters fighters overall for some reason.

So it was more dangerous to go topside, and definitely too dangerous to go alone.

"But I want to go topside" Ash mutters, turning his side to us and putting his weapons back in his belt.

"If ya'd tell us what you want to do topside" I pitch, but Ash shakes his head.

"It's none of your business" He grumbles. I frown again. He has asked to go topside on multiple occasions today, but he never wanted to tell us why he wanted to go, or where he wanted to go. He wanted to go alone, but we weren't going to let him go out alone for obvious reasons.

But that didn't mean Ash stopped trying.

I glance at Don, but I could see he had the same idea. Of course Ash didn't want to tell us, he was way more secretive than any of us liked. I would be willing to bet good money that it was something that was bothering my nephew, but he didn't want to 'bother' _us_ with it. I snort, as if that was something he should be concerned with.

He should be carefree, and share every worry that was on his mind. But Ash didn't work like that.

"Nio we can't let you go topside alone, if you would just tell us we can maybe go with you" Don tries. _Maybe_ , because even if Ash told us, we were still reluctant to let him go topside. It was too dangerous to go alone, but that didn't mean it wasn't a risk to go topside with the three of us.

"I want to go alone Uncle Don, I need to do this alone" He frowns, looking at Don with desperation.

"You can't go alone Nio" Don stresses, glancing at me for help, but I shrug.

"Why not?" He retorts.

"You're only 15 Nio" Don shoots right back, voice still calm. I had to give Don credit for that, as I could already feel frustration bubbling up. not the rage type of frustration I would feel when I was Ash's age, but a parental- well Uncle type of frustration, balancing Nio's happiness and safety.

He had been asking about going topside ever since we woke up, and right now it was 10 in the evening, and he still hadn't given up. If anything, his persistence had increased as it was now dark outside.

"You guys went topside when you were 15" Ash frowns, and I grumble.

"We didn't go alone Ash" I shoot back, and I can feel Don glance at me but I ignore him. Kid had to know when to let things go. And it would've been way easier if Nio didn't actually make sense in a way.

"I know dad did" Ash bit back, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"And look where that got him!" I cry out, and I immediately regret is as Ash face crumbles at the implication. _Fuck_. "Shit Ash, n-no… not like that. Nio" I stammer, but before I can even finish my sentence, Ash turns around and runs.

"Ascanio!" Don cries after him, and we both start sprinting after him. _Goddamnit, Mike's gonna kill us_.

"Ash!" I scream after him, but I can only look as Nio continuously puts more and more distance between us and him. He was faster than everyone but Mikey. He could outrun us, no problem.

Ash didn't listen to us, the only response a sob tearing from his throat.

 _Look where that got us_. I just basically told him he was unwanted, I just reminded him of the way he had been created. Mikey kidnapped after going topside alone, experimented on. _An unwilling result, unwanted at first, not planned._ And it had always been a big insecurity for Ash, always had been and always will be.

It wasn't long before Ash disappeared from our vision, but we didn't stop running… until we saw the light pouring down the sewer. Don and I immediately stopped, glancing at the sewer lid closing. _Shit, fuck_. Ash had gone topside.

"Damnit, Don call Mike and Leo!" I snap. "I'm going after him" It wasn't the most logical plan, Don was faster than me, but this was my fault, and like hell I wasn't going to fix it, and like hell was I stopping or slowing down to call anyone.

I was going to find my nephew.

TMNT

"What did Nio offer you?" I ask, and Leo turns around with a frown on his face. "What did he want to give you if you let him go topside?" I explain, and understanding dawns down on Leo's face.

"He was willing to do my chores for a week" Leo chuckles, and I can't help but chuckle as well.

"Nio, your negotiation skills are weak" I snicker, feigning disappointment and talking to no one in particular. But still, I was sure Leo could sense the slight worry I was feeling. It wasn't normal for Nio to ask about something so often, or be so persistent. It was one of the many things that Nio didn't inherit from me.

But he had been bugging me all day to let him go topside, and I knew he had asked his uncles as well.

"Don't let Raph hear that, he will still corrupt him" Leo rolls his eyes, turning back to the TV again. I snicker, sitting down on the couch as well.

"I think we're a few years too late" I mention, Leo smiles, looking at me. Yet, before he could say anything, his phone rang. He frowns, glancing down.

"Hey Don" He answers, putting the phone on speaker.

"Leo!" Don cries out, sounding out of breath. Immediately both of us are up, tensing.

"Donnie what's wrong?" Leo asks, slightly panicked. The answer I got was something I never wanted to hear in my life.

"Nio has run away, he's topside, alone" Don says hurriedly, panicking and with shortness of breath.

"He's what?" I cry out in panic.

"Track Raph's phone, I'm following him right now" Don says, before disconnecting. I wasted no time, sprinting over to the entrance. I didn't even care that I wasn't wearing my weapons, all that mattered was finding my son.

TMNT

I could only focus on running, head darting to every side for something that even resembles Nio. A green figure, something on the rooftops, _anything_. I could barely even sense Leo running behind me, and I had to constantly remind myself to not speed up, to not run the fastest I could.

Because I knew Leo could not keep up, and going wandering around alone was too dangerous, and wouldn't help Nio at all.

"How far are we?" I ask, panic so clearly seeping through my voice. Leo jumps over to the next rooftop with ease, glancing at his phone.

"We're closing in on him" Leo answers, equally as panicked. Raph and Don had absolutely refused to stop and wait for us. Don had quickly caught up with Raph after the call had ended, and had instructed us to track Raph's phone. Leo and I were the two fastest of us four, so eventually we would.

 _Nio please be alright, please_.

I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, both because of the exercise but also because of the worry. I had already spotted numerous gang members of the purple dragons, but we've managed to outrun or evade them so far. Nio was younger, less experienced.

"There they are" Leo announces, slightly out of breath as well. I just glance in the direction, seeing Raph and Don run across the rooftops like Leo had claimed. I accelerate just a tiny bit, quickly catching up to Raph.

"Anything?" I call out, voice desperate. Raph doesn't even look at me, jumping again.

"Nothin' at all" Raph sounded distressed as well. I growl low in my throat, following Raph and jumping over the rooftop as well.

"Guys hold up!" Don suddenly calls out. I immediately try to stop, whirling around to look on Don. My eyes go wide with panic and anticipation. "We can't just run around the city with the four of us, we need a plan"

"We find Nio, that's the plan" I find myself snapping, but nobody comments on it. And I'm far too worried to care right now. I just needed to find Nio.

"Don is right, there's too much ground to cover, we should-" And then I heard it, felt it, the familiar buzzing against my hip. "Shit, it's Nio" _The panic button._ I immediately snatch my phone, glancing at the screen. I'm gone before anyone can say something.

"Mikey!" Someone calls out but I ignore it. I just run, run as fast as I could. I didn't care about being alone right now, I didn't care about waiting for the others to catch up or slowing my pace. The only thing I cared about was Nio… protect Nio.

I don't know how long it has been, but it must've been mere minutes before I see him. He's on the rooftop, down with 3 purple dragons surrounding him… _kicking him_. It takes everything to not yell at them, but I wasn't _there_ yet, giving my position away would put Nio in even more danger.

"Shit it's another freak" One of the suddenly yelled, immediately the three scramble upwards, one pulling Nio upwards roughly. My _son_ cries out in pain, body shaking like a leaf and eyes widening the moment the knife is put against his neck.

"Let him go" I hiss, landing on the same rooftop. One of the purple dragon cowers ever so slightly, glancing at the other two but unfortunately he draws his own weapon.

"What ya gonna do punk?" The one holding Nio snickers. And really, it isn't the comment that made me snap, it's the whimper of pain Nio lets out. Within seconds my hand wraps around the hilt of the tanto and I throw it. I immediately start running, not even looking at the knife burying itself in the neck of the purple dragon holding Nio.

I ignore the cry of pain the man lets out, using my weight to tackle the guy to the right.

His head slammed back against the concrete, and he was immediately out. I jump up, whirling around to face the last one. Nio had crashed to the ground the moment the man holding him had, but right now I couldn't afford to fuss over Nio. Not even when blood was smeared across his body, and a knife was sticking out of his side.

Without hesitation, I run at the last one. He struck out, and I easily deflected his punch, slamming my palm against his jaw. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the ground as well.

"Dad" Nio whimpers, and I turn around, immediately crashing to my knees and wrapping my arms tightly around him.

"I got you, you're safe" I murmur, pressing his face tightly against my neck. _He was safe, he was alive_. I pull out of the hug the moment I hear a thud on the rooftop. "Tie them up please, before they wake up" I order, not even having to look to know Leo was the one to land on the rooftop, followed by two other thuds.

"Oh my God Nio" Don cries out, falling onto his knees besides me. "Nio look at me" He orders, but Nio whimpers, shaking his head against me.

"Ni" I whisper softly, gently prying him from my grasp even if I wanted to do nothing more than curl around him and protect him from everything around us. "Let Don take a look at you bud" I insist, and Nio slowly looks up me, nodding shakily. Tears were streaming down his face, and his eyes were filled with both panic and pain.

Don glances at Nio, and the latter eventually glances at his uncle, nodding again. Don takes the invitation, gently putting a hand on Nio's shoulder and turning him slightly. Don frowns, hand ghosting over the numerous cuts and bruises that were already on his body. Ash whimpers in pain, trying to turn towards me again.

"How is he Don?" Leo asks anxiously. I glance at Leo and Raph for a quick second. The tanto had been taken out of the guy's neck, and the body had been dragged away. The two unconscious guys were now bound back to back.

"Could've been worse" Don mutters. As if on cue, Ash groans in pain, just as Don was touching his shoulder. Don frowns. "He's gonna need stitches, especially the stab wound, but his shoulder is dislocated as well" I can feel a stab of pain go straight through my heart at the whimper Nio lets out.

"It's gonna be alright Ni" I whisper in his ear. This was the first time he got hurt like this, and I could feel he was shaking in fear and pain. "What were you even doing?" I continue softly, and Nio actually bites his lip in doubt, before he hesitantly glances over to the edge of the building.

I follow his trail, until my eyes land on the cemetery down below.

"It's mom's birthday" He whispers, voice so soft, cracking softly. _Oh baby_.

"Nio…" I whisper, putting a gentle hand on his cheek. He refuses to look at me, and not just because he wasn't comfortable looking someone directly in the eyes, he was actually avoiding me. "You could've told me.. I would've understood" I whisper.

"You don't care about her" Nio mutters softly, and I could hear the angry tone he was trying to hide. "You didn't want me" I would've preferred to have been stabbed at that moment, because I'm pretty sure that would've hurt less. My son was here, crying in pain both emotionally and physically, shoulder dislocated and a knife still in his side, and I had forgotten about his mom.

"Ni look at me" I whisper, he does so reluctantly. "I don't give your mother much thought, for obvious reasons. I didn't know her, and I have no emotional connection to her. I would rather forgot about those 4 months, they still haunt me. But I wouldn't trade you for the world Nio, I love you so so much"

I take a deep breath. "Your mom doesn't mean anything to me, but I should've realised what she meant to you, that she meant the world to you." Still, Nio doesn't say anything. "And I should've realised you would want to visit her grave, especially now you're part of the team"

He has been 'celebrating' her birthday ever since he was 9, in secret. I mean we still knew about it, but he never approached us so we decided to not push him. Nio liked to keep things like that to himself, not wanting to bother us with it. And I was the worst dad in the world for not realising it was his mom's birthday _today_.

"s'not your fault dad" He mumbles, wincing in pain.

"We should get him home" Leo whispers in my ear, and I nod. Nio glances at me, but he simply leans into me again. I take the silent invitation, carefully picking him up before we all start to make our way home.

TMNT

"Just do it" Nio mumbles, closing his eyes and taking a shuddering breath. His hand tightened around mine but I could only glance at Don as he gently reached for Nio's dislocated shoulder. The latter grits his teeth as Don carefully rolls his arm, until after a few moments the joint popped back.

Nio let out a satisfied groan, slumping slightly.

"Better?" Don smirks, gently prodding the shoulder to make sure everything was alright. Nio nods, but his gaze immediately wanders to the knife still buried in his side. "Let's get that out now" Don smiled, and carefully put a hand on Nio's shell, helping him lie down.

"Why did you treat the shoulder first?" Nio whispers softly, voice slightly trembling from the pain he was no doubt experiencing. Don smiles gently, pulling the tray closer to him with all the necessary materials.

"Because it has the most risks, your muscles will often spasm, and the pain will make sitting still difficult" My immediate older brother explains. He has gotten so much better with explaining stuff in the last 15 years, making sure that everyone could understand what the hell he was thinking.

Nio was by no way a genius like Don was. He was still very smart, intuitive and thoughtful but his strengths were mostly on the logical side, the social side even. He was a social mess himself but he understood emotions and motives really quickly. He could always read our emotions, or realise when and why we were upset.

He also remembered things really fast, he was obsessed with languages but things like chemistry or physics was something he never understood. Or really cared to understand. _Why should I care how a light bulb is lit?_ He had once claimed.

"Makes sense" Nio murmured, but his breath was shaky. Which wasn't weird, that knife couldn't be comfortable, and I knew he was exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Just stay as still as you can for this" Don comments, and Nio nods, glancing at the ceiling. I could see his hands curl into fists, nails no doubt digging into his palms. He often did this when he was in pain, to distract himself. And if it helped, I would be the last one to tell him to stop.

Don gently grasped the knife, slowly starting to retract the knife. Nio's face scrunches up immediately, a groan of pain escaping his mouth. He takes a shuddering breath, nails going straight for his legs instead while shaking ever so slightly. I immediately reach out for his hand.

"Just a little longer" I whisper, and true to my word, Don finally pulled the knife from his body, immediately putting a clean cloth on the bleeding wound.

"Worst is over now, let's stitch you up"

"Cause that's not bad" Nio mutters, grinning half-heartedly when Don looks at him.

"Oh I'm sorry, whose fault is this again?" Don snickers, and Nio just shrugs with a slight smile on his face.

"Fair enough" He says, glancing as Don readies the needle.

"Hey Ni?" I ask softly, and Nio glances at me. Don nodded slightly of approval, keeping Nio distracted was hard, but it was always better to try.

"Don't do that" Ash frowns, gesturing towards me with his good arm. "Don't do that guilt thing again" He continues, and I roll my eyes.

"I'm the dad here" I snicker, and Nio joins in for a moment, before I glance at him again with a serious expression. "I wanted to ask you if I could come with you to your mom's grave" I ask softly, and Nio seems surprised for a moment.

"I mean .. you don't have to" Nio frowns, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes again. _This damn kid, worried way too much about others_.

"Ni, I want to go with you, but only if _you_ are okay with it" _And of course he would be, he wanted nothing more than for me to be there, he just never asked me out of fear of rejection_. I had just never asked before because Nio really valued his privacy, and didn't want me knowing about his mom.

But now the cat was out of the bag I guess.

"I would love that" Ash confirms, flinching as Don puts the needle in his skin, but he doesn't even look at his uncle. Don on the other hand shoots a glare my way, and I chuckle.

"Not tonight D" I reassure him with a laugh. "But maybe tomorrow evening, if you're feeling better. If that's still okay with you" Nio seems to think for a moment.

"I would love that" Nio smiled, and I can't help but smile brightly at my son's smile. _I love you so much Ni, don't you ever forget that_.

TMNT

"Hey mom" I whisper softly, not paying attention to dad as he carefully helped me to sit down on my knees. I just look at the ground beneath me, dirt digging into my knees before almost hesitantly glancing at the grave in front of me.

 _Anya Holder-Lynch_

I glance at dad as he carefully walks over to the grave, crouching down and rubbing his hand over the engravings, dirt falling down. He looks at me for a moment, as if he was asking if what he did was okay, but I just smile. He turns back to the grave again, wiping away as much dirt as he could so mom's name was properly visible again.

Then, ever so softly, Dad lowers the bouquet to lay on the grave.

"Dad's here with me" I whisper, catching dad's gaze for a second before I turn back to the grave again. "I'm sorry I haven't visited you like this before, but I hope you can understand" I can feel dad looking at me, but for now I ignore him.

"I just want to say happy late birthday" I chuckle softly, but I already felt tears burning in my eyes. "And I want to say that I'm doing okay. I know you never knew me, and that you were probably afraid of what I was-" I stop for a moment, and dad stands up to kneel next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

I sniffle, leaning into his side.

"I know you didn't want me, and I never wanted you to die because of me… but I believe you would've liked me. Dad and his brothers did, jii-chan did as well" I take a deep breath. "I know dad looks after your family, and I know they're safe… I just wanted you to know that.. but I suppose your family tells you that as well"

I could feel Dad looking at me, but I don't comment on it. I knew I wasn't going to tell my story alone, but I didn't mind dad being there. They were my parents, and even if dad had nothing with mom, he was there for me, and I knew he wouldn't judge me. My uncles were somewhere around.

Far enough so they couldn't hear us, but close enough to keep us safe.

My right arm slowly reaches for my left shoulder, biting down a hiss that was threatening to escape. My left arm was still in a sling from being dislocated, and my side was throbbing relentlessly but I wanted to do this, and it was well worth the slight pain I was feeling.

"I really hope you can forgive me for what I did to you, and that you're happy wherever you are" I could feel dad tighten his hold on me, and I knew it was for the first part of the sentence. Me blaming myself, asking for forgiveness. "Are you with grandmother up there? I never met her either, but I heard she was really sweet"

I glance at dad, but he just smiled back lazily. It was something we had in common I guess, we never met our moms. My grandma was killed by my grand-uncle before grandpa even adopted my dad and uncles. She wasn't biologically related to any of us, but I knew dad saw her as the mom he never had.

My dad's and uncles' real parents were of course turtles, but figuring their average lifespan was between 20 or 30 it wasn't likely that they were still around. I chuckle slightly despite the situation. _We had a weird family, but I wouldn't trade any of them for the world._

"I'm sure she would forgive you" Dad mumbles, pressing a kiss against my temple. I just smile, because we had gone over mom's files so many times that it felt like I knew her like I had known her when she was still alive. And one thing that she definitely wasn't was unforgiving, or not loving.

She did everything for her family. She already had two kids when she died. A daughter that was 2 when she was kidnapped, and a son that had barely been a few weeks old. But she loved them so much, and was willing to sacrifice herself for her children.

"Can I say something?" Dad asks softly, and I nod. "Hey Anya, uhm… You don't know me, or maybe they did tell you about me. We were both in the place against our will, but I'm sorry that I was the only one to escape with Nio. I wish I would've brought you back to your own children."

He takes a deep breath, but I don't interrupt him. "Now that I have Nio, I know the constant fear you're in, and I'm sorry your kids didn't grow up with a mom" _All three of them_. "But I hope you've really forgiven us, I'm just gonna have to believe that you did. So instead I want to thank you"

I frown slightly at the statement. Dad and I had both established that believing mom has forgiven us was the most logical explanation, and like he said, we had both agreed to believe that statement to give ourselves some peace. But thank her? For what?

"I want to thank you for giving me Nio… even if you didn't mean to. But I also want to thank you for making him the best son in the world. I love him so much, even if he's really different than I am" He glances at me, a sheepish smile on his face. "Despite how awkward he sometimes is, I love him." I smile back at him, but I don't interrupt him.

"I love his quirks so much. When he can't form normal sentences in one language, when he's so vague about explaining stuff that nobody understands him. His weird euphemisms. Even your social anxiety, which Don hasn't diagnosed. I love how independent you have always been, how curious you are about stuff. I just.. I love you"

He turns back to the grave again, a single tear rolling down his face.

"So thank you, for giving me the best gift I could've ever wished for, thank you for giving me the world" I smile, wrapping my uninjured arm around him but being careful of my wound.

"You're such a sap dad" I mutter, and dad chuckles.

"But it's true Ni, I love you so much" He mumbles, kissing my head again. I laugh, not pulling away even if any normal teen would have.

"I love you too dad"

TMNT

Hope you like it littl' big sis ^^ And I hoped you guys liked it as well. *Hugs*

For the people who care about the title; Butterfly is a nummer from the same singer who sang "A Matter Of Time", the title of the story that introduced Nio. (The singer is Sennek) And I really liked the title because at first a butterfly is a caterpillar, which doesn't seem like much, which represents the capture of Mikey, but eventually the caterpillar (The capture) turns into something incredibly beautiful, the butterfly, which is Mikey getting Nio. (Cheesy ain't it xD)


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